§ (1) The Chief or Under-Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant shall prepare and issue such forms and instructions as he may think necessary for the taking of the Census, and the Census shall be taken by means of and in the manner prescribed by those forms and instructions, and no question shall be put for the purpose of obtaining information other than the information required by those forms and instructions.
§ (2) Subject to such modifications as are required by or in pursuance of this Act, the forms and instructions issued under this Section shall be to the like effect and contain the like matters and particulars as the forms and instructions issued under the Census (Ireland) Act, 1900.
§ (3) The expenses incurred with the approval of the Treasury for the purposes of the Census shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament.
§ Mr. MOONEYI beg to move, in Subsection (1), to leave out the words "and the Census shall be taken by means of and in the manner prescribed by those forms and instructions, and no question shall be put for the purpose of obtaining information other than the information required by those forms and instructions."
This is to restore the Clause as it was in the Acts of 1890 and 1900 which set out what forms were to be used. For the first time, in this Bill, the whole of the words after the word "Census" have been omitted, and the Chief Secretary could use any forms he liked.
§ The ATTORNEY-GENERAL for IRELAND (Mr. Redmond Barry)The Government quite agree with the hon. Member's view that the forms in use in 1900 should continue in the present year. That certainly is the intention of the Government, and I think it is secured by the terms of: the Bill as it stands. But to place the matter beyond any doubt we propose after the word "particulars" to insert the word "only," and we will use precisely the same forms.
§ Mr. MOONEYI do not think that that does carry out the intention because the Chief Secretary is empowered to make any forms he may think necessary. Under the Act of 1890 there was a limitation, and the forms were set forth in these specific words. Here there is no limitation. I am surprised that the Attorney-General should think that the word "only" would restrict the Chief Secretary from making absolutely new forms. If he will give me an assurance that the intention of the Government is to use similar forms I will withdraw.
§ Mr. MAURICE HEALYThe second Sub-section is absolutely inconsistent with the first. The first Sub-section says that the Chief Secretary can have any forms he likes, while the second says that the forms must be of the kind prescribed.
§ Mr. REDMOND BARRYI do not think there is any doubt at all.
§ Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Amendment made: In Sub-section (2), after the word "particulars," insert the word "only."—[Mr. Redmond Barry.]
§ Clauses 6, 7, 8, and 9 agreed to.
§ Bill, with Amendments, reported to the House; to be considered to-morrow (Wednesday).